furgang-



SAFETY GUT-OUT.

R ZSheets-Sheet 1.A

A100,480,009. Y Patented Aug. 2, 1802.

' VViTNEESc Tm/,ENTER Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH FURGANG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF (INE-HALF TOISAAC KAFFENBURGII, OF SAME PLACE. A

SAFETY CUT-OUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent o. 480,009, dated August 2,1892. Application filed October 14, 1891. Serial N0.l'98,707 (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH FURGANG, Qt Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State f Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inSafety Attachments for Electrical IVires, of which the following is aspecification.

This is a device intended particularly for application to electric-lightwires or power- Wires for electric railways, whereby the end of a wirebroken accidentally or ,cut intentionally-as by the fire department,forinstance-is automatically and instantly insulated, thereby beingrenderedperfectly harmless in caseit falls and comes in contact with anyobject or person, and also whereby a section of wire may be safelyremoved at will.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referenceindicate like parts, Figure l is a plan View of my device with the partsin their usual or normalposition, so that the electric current passesfreely through it. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3.

, isa central longitudinal vertical'section. Fig. 4 isa view of the sideopposite to that shown in Fig. 2, with the parts so arranged that asection of wire may be safely removed. Fig. 5 is a cross verticalsection taken 011 line Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an end' elevation of the de,-vice. Fig. 7 is a cross vertical section on line y, Fig. l.

A is a metallic plate or base made iu two parts, said parts beingseparated by a central longitudinal opening a, Fig. 3,andconnected bythe metallic end plate B, which extends up from the outer end of theplate` and the metallic cross-piece C, Fig. l, which extends from onepart of the plate to the other and is preferably integral with both.'lh'e inner parallel edges of the parts of the'plate A are lined withinsulation b, Figs. 3, 5, and.6. Metallic side rails D D are secured tothe opposite side outer edges of this plate, and as the plate is cutaway at a e', Figs. l and 5, spaces are formed at these points. Theseside rails extend below the plate and when the device is used inconnection with the'pow'er- 4Wire of an electric railway-serve as guardsto prevent the trolley fromjumping the wire.

5o These plates are'made in duplicate, as shown,

and are supported centrally by an insulatedy frame E, which extends upfrom the adjacent ends thereof, said frame being surmounted by a ring oreye E or other suitable device by which the frame may be secured to andthe plates sustained by the guard -wire or other convenient means ofsupport.

F F are cylinders lined with insulation, secured centrally andlongitudinally to the plates directly over the longitudinal openings 6oa by means of suitable straps F', the rear ends of said cylindersheilig' placed against the end wallsB and the front ends thereof beingopen. Within these cylinders are spiral springs d, covered withinsulation and lying between the rear ends of the' cylinders andshoulders H on the bolts II, Fig. 3. These bolts, which are covered withinsulation, have screwed in to them from the rear rods I, which extendthrough the insulated rearends of the go cylinders and thence throughsuitable open ings B in the end walls B, Fig; 6, but without coming intocontact with said walls, as shown. These rods are provided near theirouter ends with vertical holes I', Figs. l and 75 3, and inclines I,leading to said holes. Shafts J have their bearings in the end walls B,and catch-pinsJeXtend ccntrallyfrom said shafts (but being insulatedtherefrom) and lie normallyin the inc'lines I. Rigidlysecured 8o to theopposite ends of said shafts are the metallic weights K, provided withthe contact points K.

,L L are metallic pieces extending from within the spaces d through theside rails D D and insulated therefrom, as shown, and to theseA piecesmay be secured ground-wires. The plates A are connected centrallybeneath the frame E .by metallic gates N, which are hinged at N to therails D Dand can be 9o swung up and back at will by means of theinsulated handles N".

These gates may be' locked, when closed, by means of the screws N",which extend through the openings n in the gates.

S S are the electric wires, their inner ends being secured to metallicblocks l. The normal position of the apparatus is as shown in Figs. l,3, and 3. The blocks P are held by the taut electric wires S snuglyagainst the roo small ends of the bolts H, suitable grooves or recessesbeing provided in the blocks P to preventthem from slipping. The blockstorce vthe bolts H back against the power of the on the wire) orbet-Ween this apparatus and the next point of support for the wire thewir would of course instantly lose its tautness and the bolt H on theside next the break would by means of the spring d throw the block P,with the broken end of the wire, forward, and it would drop out of theapparatus through the open space between the two parts of the apparatusbeneath the frame E. Ot course this broken wire, which would thus fallto the ground, would be dead and harmless. Then the bolt H iiies forward,it carries with it the rod Land the catch-pin J slips by gravity fromthe incline I and drops into the hole I', thus preventing thebolt fromtiying entirely out of the cylinder. At the same time the weights K,which are -fast on the same shaft as the catchpin J', swing down bygravity, aiding the m0- tion of 'the catch-pin and swinging into thespaces a and by means of the contact-pointsK striking and lying againstthe metallic pieces L, to which the ground-wires are secu red, thusallowing the electricity from' the live wire secured to the other en dof the apparatus to pass through its block Pand the frame A at that endto the gates N, and thence to the frameA at the end of the apparatusnekt the break, and thence through the weights K to vthe pieces L and tothe ground-wires secured to said pieces. If a section ot the wire is cutinstead ot' being accidentally broken, the effeet is of course the same.

. On one side of each frame A the rail D is cut away to allow of theinsertion ot' the me- A talliclatch'R. This latch is hinged at fr to the'rail D and provided with the insulated handle R and also with theopening R,Fig. 4, which drops over a pin R, secured to the frame A. Acontact-piece R serves when the latch is thrown back, as shown in Fig.4, to make connection with the piece L. On the opposite side of eachframe A, next the open end of4 the cylinder F, la portion Af of theframe is hinged to the main portion of the frame at A".

By the,` removal of a screw t, which extends through a slottedlocking-piece T, rigidly se"- cured to the surface ofthe swingingportion A', this portion or gate may be swung out vhorizontally, sothataccess can readily be had to the block P. VNowin case a section-of 'wirebetween two of my apparatus is desired' to be removedas in case of afire, for .instancethe gates N are raised, thus disconnectingthe twoparts, of the apparatus, and the latch R between the section desired tobe removed and the source of electricity is raised and swung back intocontact with Athe piece L, thus conducting the electricity to thegroundwire. Then by swinging out the gate A the block P can easily beremoved and with it the section of wire connecting it to the nextapparatus. The other end of this section of wire is of course removed bysimilarly operating upon the nearest end of the next apparatus. Thespace between the two parts of my device-t'. e'., the space under the4frame E-is so small that atrolley will easily jump it.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a safety attachment for electrical wires, the plate A, ofconductive material and provided with the spaces or openings a', endpieces B, and swinging weights K, held normally up, as described, theground connections L, the bolt H and spring d within the cylinder F, andthe block P, to which the end of the wire is secured, combined andarranged substantially as set forth.

2. In a safety attachment for electrical wires, the plate A, ofconductive material, cylinder F, spring d, end piece B, rod I, providedwith the perforation I', shaft J, sustained by the said end piece, andcatch-pin J', whereby when the spring is released the` bolt is checkedin its-outward movement, substantially as described.

3. In a safety attachment for electrical wires, the pair of plates A A,of conductive material, a supporting insulated frame, as E,

conductive. gates, as N, capable ot being opened to destroy theconnection, bolts and springs sustained by said plates, and blocks, asP, to which the ends of the electric wire are secured, said blocks beingheld against lthe bolts by the tension of the wire, whereby ranged, asdescribed, to swing back into con-A tact with the said groundconnections, sub' stantially as set forth. 'l

' 5. In an apparatus' of the character described, the combination of theplates A, of conductive` material, bolt H, and spring d,

block P, tov which the end of the wire is secured, andoutwardly-swinging gate A,where by access may behad tothe said block,substantially as described.

v RUDOLPH lFURGANGl Witnesses: HENRY-W.I WILLIAMS, J. M.Ha1trNE'1'r.

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